About San Diego Junior Theatre
ABOUT JUNIOR THEATRE
San Diego Junior Theatre originally began as a performing arts community program of the Old Globe Theatre. Today, Junior Theatre operates as an independent, nonprofit organization for the benefit of children throughout San Diego County, and is the oldest educational youth theatre program in the country.
A RICH HISTORY
In 1948, the Junior Theatre Workshop of the San Diego Community Theater (now, the Old Globe Theatre) was established at the suggestion of Artistic Director, Craig Noel. With instructors and facilities provided under the Old Globe’s stewardship, founders Irma Fraser MacPherson and Mary Corrigan directed a group of students interested in the performing arts, ages eight to eighteen, in what became the first of many Junior Theatre stage productions.
As Junior Theatre’s educational programs continued to flourish, it moved to Balboa Park’s old Food and Beverage building for its new rehearsal space. Early theatrical productions starring Junior Theatre students were held in Falstaff’s Tavern at the Old Globe Theatre, Wegeforth Bowl in the San Diego Zoo, Roosevelt Junior High School auditorium, and the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater stage.
By 1953, the San Diego Park and Recreation Department took over sponsorship of performances and the program, and Junior Theatre moved to its current home in the Casa del Prado Theatre in its 1971-72 Theatre Season.
Whether it’s onstage, backstage, in the classroom, or in the audience, there’s a good chance that a child’s appreciation in the arts will begin at San Diego Junior Theatre.
